How do you Remove Berry Stains?

How do you remove berry stains from clothing? I just found out, and I just had to share this amazing tip with you. Did you read the book, “The Help?” If not, maybe you saw the movie. The main character, Skeeter, lands a job at the newspaper writing a column about house keeping. My mother-in-law could write that very column. My sister-in-laws and myself are always picking up little tid bits here and there. My own mom is a wealth of information too. I wish I had listened more as she was trying to teach me these things growing up. I definitely tune in now. We were at my in-laws house recently and one of my daughters spilled berries all down the front of her shirt. My mother-in-law said, “Come on inside and let’s get the 409.” What? I followed along to ask my questions. “409 gets out berry stains?” Apparently it does. It’s crazy.

You can see the progression in the pictures above. You’ll have your berry spill. Then, just spray it with 409. It turns a deeper purple color. You let it soak it in for just a bit. Then, you throw your shirt in the normal wash and out it comes perfectly clean. I asked my mother-in-law if it works on set-in stains, and she seemed to believe it does. We eat a lot of berries around here and have 3 kids (age 2, 4 and 6), so we get a lot of berry stains. I know I am going to be using this new-found knowledge over and over again. Here are a couple more before and after pictures:

The final example is actually not berries. This is my t-shirt, and I squirted myself with a new-fangled Kool-Aid concentrate container. I am looking at the container again now, realizing it just may have…may have…been user error. It looks pretty simple. I have no idea how I squirted myself, but I did. My husband always marvels at the messes I am able to create. I guess this tip was the perfect one I needed to know – not just for my children’s messes but also for my own. I’ll be so curious to know if this is a new tip for you too or if you have been solving your stain woes for a long time using 409. Who knew that 409 is not just used to wipe down your kitchen or bathroom to remove bacteria? Not me…until now.